| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Sep | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | ||||||
To help accomodate Berkeley’s dwindling number of care dealerships (i.e. less and less sales tax revenue for the city), Berkeley is in the process of rezoning certain areas to allow for such businesses to take place.
Read more in Carol Jones 08.07.07 SF Chronicle article.
The word on the street–and Ron Penndorf’s March 4 blog entry–seem to say so. There isn’t any official info out there, but it is interesting to think about.
Could a Patrick Kennedy project be a better solution for the site than an auto dealership? Yes and no. Aesthetics aside, if it were a mixed use residential project, as most of his buildings are…maybe. That part of the neighborhood could use some reinvigoration and life. An autodealship couldn’t provide that.
But the likelyhood of getting a mixed use project in an area that was once toxic and that is zoned manufacturing is slim to non-existant. Thinking in terms of the City’s budget, it may also be less desirable than an autodealship in terms of its economic benefits.
It could overlap slightly with the Mayor’s plan to steer Gilman St. towards more commercial uses.
Stay tuned…
–here come the autodealerships!!! Storage facilities along the Frontage road are now in the Planning Commission’s crosshairs. Click here and scroll down halfway for the Daily Planet’s summary of the discussion.
Click here for Richard Brenneman’s article.
With two dealerships and their associated sales tax already well on their way to leaving Berkeley the City is pondering changing the current zoning/West Berkeley Plan to help stop the migration of existing Berkeley dealerships to Oakland and Emeryville. The most notable site involved in the current zoning discussion is the former location of Flint Ink at 4th and GIlman. Weatherford BMW has written a letter of intent to buy this property, but has little incentive to move forward if the zoning will not be changed to accomodate retail car sales. Per Don Yost of Norheim and Yost, the property is currently on the market for 5.8 million dollars.
Read Fred Dodsworth’s article on the subject here. Click here to read related past posts.
7pm at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst.
Up for Public Comment and Discussion: West Berkeley Zoning Regulations, and the West Berkeley Plan. If the City choses to accomodate the car dealerships along Gilman and Frontage Road, changes to industrial and manufacturing zones will need to occur.
The meeting is being put on by the planning commision.
With some dealerships getting itchy feet, the City of Berkeley is trying to formulate a plan to keep existing, and attract new, car dealerships to the area. Sales tax from local car sales make up about 10% of the city’s total sales tax collection, so finding ways to keep them here is essential to maintaining the already fragile city budget. The tour will kick off the public discussion on the necessary changes to the West Berkeley Plan and zoning code that would need to occur to accomodate the dealerships–mostly along the Frontage Road/Gilman St./Camelia St.
The Saturday morning tour starts at 9:45 a.m. at 2700 Shattuck Ave. in front of McKevitt Volvo-Nissan. From there it will wind its way through west Berkeley along the Frontage Road, and end at Weatherford BMW on Ashby a couple hours later. The public is encouraged to attend. There will also be a follow up public workshop on this topic this Wednesday at 7pm at the North Berkeley Senior Center at 1901 Hearst.
For more info:
* Click here for the Daily Planet article or here for the Berkeley Voice Article.
* Or call assistant planner Jordan Harrison at 510.981.7416.
This Wednesday marks the start of “official” public talks regarding the inclusion of car dealerships into West Berkeley zoning. Mayor Tom Bates has been a relatively long time supporter of the idea due to the financial benefits it offers to the City as a whole. Click here for link to today’s Daily Planet article or here for related past posts on the cameliastreet blog.
Following is the exerpt from this week’s Planning Commission agenda:
“…Preliminary Discussion of Potential Zoning Change Options in West Berkeley for Business Retention of Automobile Sales (No action will be taken.) (Report to be delivered)” *Click here for complete Planning Commission PDF agenda.
Comments(2)